dgharmon writes: More than five years after it began selling PCs with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled in the United States, Dell has compiled a lackluster record in the eyes of many Linux advocates when it comes to promoting open source alternatives to Windows.

Yet as a Canonical employee recently pointed out, Dell is now offering a $70 markdown on one laptop model when customers purchase it with Ubuntu instead of a Microsoft OS. Is this a mistake, or a sign of changes to come on Dell’s part?